1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the field of bag holding devices, and in particular to the field of outdoor garbage bag holders.
2. Description of Related Art
There are a large number of different devices that have been invented for the purpose of holding garbage bags open. The known garbage bag holders can be categorized in many different ways. To enable the instant invention to be best understood, the most useful way to categorize garbage bag holders are as follows: (i) indoor simple; (ii) indoor complex; (iii) outdoor simple; (iv) outdoor complex.
A simple indoor garbage bag holder is illustrated by U.S. Pat. No. 4,319,726, issued to Gustav V. Andersson. It consists of a pole, a hoop shaped bottom member that fits onto the bottom of the pole, and a circular hoop which fits over the top of the pole, which hoop has a clamping device as a part of it. The bag fits over the top hoop and is clamped to the top hoop by the clamping device. An example of an indoor complex bag holder can be found in Canadian Patent No. 195,619, issued to John L. Wettlaufer. It consists of a four footed base, which supports a rod, which has a mechanical bag holding device slidably fitted over it.
Andersson's invention is also a good example of a simple outdoor bag holder, when the hoop base is replaced by a pointed end that is insertable into the ground. A complex outdoor bag holder can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,069,993, issued to Donald L. Shanks. Shank's bag holder has a rectangular base, two stakes, each of which slides through a central aperture at opposite sides on the base, a rectangular support frame, which is attached to the top of the two stakes, and separate elements that are necessary to hold a bag to the support frame.
The four examples cited above are only a partial list of the patents that have been issued on bag holders. In the known art, inventors seeking to simplify bag holders have tended to eliminate legs. There are a large number of one-legged bag holders that have been invented. Like a one-legged man, they can stand-up, however, they cannot stand up as well as a two legged man. A common element in many of the known bag holders is a clamping or holding means for keeping the bag on the bag holder. That element is necessary as many previously invented bag holders were designed to hold a variety of different types of bags. Some bag holders were designed to hold cloth bags, paper bags, and plastic bags. Some bag holders were designed to hold bags of different sizes. Some were designed to hold bags of different materials and bags of different sizes.
The complex bag holders generally involve a multiple of different types of components, some of which are complex. They also generally rely on three or four legs, or a platform type of base to support the bag holder. Complex bag holders also employ clamping or gripping means to hold the bags to the bag holder. They seem to be designed to stand up securely and to hold their bag securely. However, as stated, they are relatively complex to build, therefore, relatively expensive. They can also usually accommodate a variety of different size bags and bags made out of different materials.